OK, so those particularly displeased posters lacked originality. They more than made up for it in animosity.

To react to this knee-jerk reaction, we turned to a man who knows a few things about defense, which he's coached, and knee-jerk reaction, which he's gotten and given.

"That goes with the territory," said former Auburn coach and current AUTigers.com blogger Pat Dye. "On Ted's behalf, last year we didn't have near-enough people on defense. We still don't have enough people, and we're playing with a lot of young ones."

See what he did there? He played the depth card and the youth card, all in one hand. It's true on both counts, but well-played just the same, coach.

Continue.

"There's more than one coach over there" on that side of the ball, he said. So git 'er done, Tracy Rocker, Tommy Thigpen and Phillip Lolley.

That last thought explains why, 18 years after he coached his last game, Dye remains a go-to guy on all manner of football-related matters. His hindsight may be 50-50, but his insight is 20-20.

There are reasons for concern at Auburn heading into Year Two, Game Two of the Chizik era, and the most pressing do revolve around what happens while Cam Newton is resting after adding to his highlight reel.

Busted tackles. Botched assignments. The uncanny ability to make the most pedestrian quarterback look like Joe Montana, before he started peddling walking shoes.

Forget the SEC. Based on statistical and anecdotal evidence, right now the Auburn defense isn't good enough to win the Sun Belt.

If you're looking for someone to blame, or hoping for someone to correct the mistakes that have seen Auburn allow at least 26 points in its last five games dating to last season, you really should look a little higher on the organizational chart than coordinator.

What did Chizik do before he became a head coach? He coordinated defenses. In two of his last three years in that position, he coordinated two defenses that were part of undefeated teams.

His 2004 Auburn unit led the country in scoring defense. His 2005 Texas outfit finished No. 8 nationally in that department.

Despite what some bitter Iowa State backers may believe, Chizik didn't bump his head in the last five years and forget everything he ever knew about stopping the other team from scoring. Nor did he hire Roof and turn the defense entirely over to him to go work on his putting.

As for the defensive coordinator, who's an early favorite to defend his title as the team's scapegoat, Dye defended him and argued that one year and one game isn't near-enough evidence to hang him.

"You damn sure couldn't grade him based on last year," Dye said. "We lined up with two linebackers that played every snap. At the present time, I think we're better on defense with a chance to get a lot better."

They better, and in a hurry. Otherwise, Roof will leave Starkville with his ears ringing. Cowbells will have nothing to do with it.